In response to the Mayor’s announcement that 5,000 trees will be planted at Montagu Recreation Ground in Enfield, local London Assembly Member, Joanne McCartney AM, said:

“Our green spaces are precious, enhancing the quality of life for local people and helping to mitigate the pressing issue of air pollution. So, the planting of these new trees will provide a significant boost for our community, and a step forward in making London the world’s first National Park City.

“Today, we have also seen the Mayor launch a £1.5 million woodland fund, so I would urge local charities and organisations to bid for their share of it. Everyone in the community can also get involved with mass tree planting events taking place across the capital on the 1st and 2nd of December”.

In response to the Deputy Mayor for Transport’s announcement at the Active Travel Summit, that construction of a major cycle route between Tottenham and Camden will begin during this Mayoral term, local London Assembly Member, Joanne McCartney AM, said:

“This is great news for Tottenham residents, providing a safer route for cyclists through major junctions on the way in and out of central London.

“This announcement from the Deputy Mayor marks a significant step in laying down the high-quality infrastructure needed to encourage more Londoners to get on their bikes, live healthier lifestyles and play their part in tackling congestion and cleaning up our air.”

In response to the Mayor’s announcement that Oasis Academy Hadley in Enfield and Heartlands High School in Haringey will receive a portion of his ‘Young Londoners Fund’ to set up a Stepping Stones programme, aimed at helping the most vulnerable local pupils with the transition to secondary school, local London Assembly Member Joanne McCartney AM said:

“The transition between primary and secondary school can be a difficult and testing time for some children. However, with the extra helping hand that the Stepping Stones programme and summer school provides, it can also empower the most vulnerable young Londoners to make the leap to a higher level of academic and personal independence.

“In the wake of sustained government cuts that have decimated our capital’s youth services, the summer school also offers invaluable free, educational activities during the holidays, preparing children for a good start at secondary school, as well as on-going mentoring support through the year.

“The Mayor has clearly acknowledged the importance of early intervention, taking swift and stringent action to play his part in tackling inequality in our communities by introducing his £45m Young Londoners Fund.

“On the other hand, we have seen the Government treat this as a less urgent priority, having so far failed to allocate any of their £22 million Early Intervention Fund. This amount is a drop in the ocean when compared the level of damage that has been done by their callous programme of austerity”.

In response to calls from the Deputy Mayor for Transport that the operator of Great Northern, Govia Thameslink Rail (GTR), should have its services devolved to TfL, local London Assembly Member, Joanne McCartney AM said:

“Govia have failed time and time again to deliver a consistent and reliable service to my constituents. The recent and ongoing fiasco with the new timetable has caused such huge and protracted disruption to the lives of so many Londoners.

“The residents of Enfield and Haringey deserve better. This is why I have consistently called for the devolution of Great Northern services and have recently written again to the Secretary of State for Transport urging him to make this decision. I have also lobbied the Mayor to keep up the pressure on the Government to hand the service to TfL Overground.

“The Deputy Mayor’s latest intervention shows that she has listened to the frustrations of beleaguered commuters, who have simply had enough. Hopefully, the Government will finally see sense on this and put the control of Great Northern services into capable hands”.

“It’s now clear that the Government’s unwillingness to properly fund London’s police services is compromising the Met’s ability to keep Londoners safe.

“With the Met already subjected to government cuts of over £700 million, and a further £325 million of savings to find, we’re seeing our police services under a level of strain we haven’t seen before.

“London has not escaped the national increase in serious violence, but we cannot solely leave it to our under-resourced police force to confront this intolerable rise. It’s time for all hands on deck. We need every section of the community coming together to tackle this abhorrent trend, which is exactly what the Mayor’s knife crime summit today sets out to do. The collective message has to be that we cannot, and we will not, stand by and watch as more lives are destroyed.

“The bottom line is we need police officers on our streets to keep us safe, the Government cannot continue to abdicate their responsibility to give London’s police the funding they need to make this happen.